Officials laud completion of East Albany senior housing complex

ALBANY — Marking what Albany Mayor Dorothy Hubbard called “a new beginning for several senior citizens in our community,” city and Albany Area Chamber of Commerce officials opened the new Villas at Broadway senior housing complex Thursday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The 10-unit complex, designed by Albany architect David Maschke, will offer a high standard of living for income-eligible seniors 65 and older.

“We’re reviewing applications at this time, but we have 17 applicants who’ve expressed interest in moving into one of the units,” Albany Department of Community and Economic Development Director Shelena Hawkins said before Thursday’s noon ribbon-cutting event. “Applicants will have to meet HUD income standards.

“This is one of the proudest developments I’ve ever been a part of, and it’s the first one that I’m aware of in which the city endeavored to serve as the project developer. Certainly, that’s not something we want to do often, but with time being of the essence, it was a step we decided to take. The city acquired that land in the late ’90s after the floods (in ‘94 and ‘98) with an eye on redevelopment in that blighted neighborhood.”

The city demolished seven dilapidated homes in the Broadway area to pave the way for the development, which includes eight one-bedroom units and two two-bedroom units, all of which are handicapped-accessible.

Maschke said he was thankful to both Hawkins and former Community and Economic Development Director Latoya Cutts (who now serves as Albany’s downtown manager) for giving him the opportunity to complete a low-income development that did not allow for compromises in quality.

“Everyone deserves to live in a quality housing unit in a safe environment,” Maschke said. “But with this project, DCED allowed me to seize the opportunity, finally, to demonstrate that low-moderate income housing can be well-designed, functional, efficient, safe, attractive, competitively built and easy to maintain.

“All rooms in these units exceed minimum HUD requirements, and we’ve added amenities that will improve residents’ standard of living. In designing them, I tried to include all of the things that I’ve thought of over the years that will enhance quality of life and safety. I think these units — and I’m not saying this because I designed them but because the site work contractor (HTS Construction) and the general contractor (LRA Constructors) were on the same page — will push the bar higher in Albany.”

City Manager Sharon Subadan welcomed those gathered for the ribbon-cutting by proclaiming, “Safe, clean, affordable housing is a basic dignity and a basic right.” The city manager then thanked chamber of commerce officials for what turned out to be perfect weather for the event, saying, “This is a great day in Albany.”

Hubbard said she thought of the groundbreaking held at the project site a year and a half before Thursday’s ribbon-cutting as she drove to the site.

“Here we are, a short while later, officially opening this beautiful complex,” the mayor said. “This is another example of what can be accomplished when everyone works together.”

Kenneth Cutts, at the event as a representative of 2nd District U.S. Congressman Sanford Bishop, said the public/private partnership that paved the way for completion of the complex is becoming more of a norm nationwide.

“We’re living in an age of dwindling government resources, so it’s important that we continue to have these public/private partnerships,” Cutts said. “This is the kind of collaborative effort and the kind of project that will make our communities stronger.”

Hawkins said the 10 Villas at Broadway units account for Phase I of the city’s planned senior housing project and that an eight- to 10-unit Phase II of the project would be designed “as soon as additional funding becomes available.”

“This is a day we will long remember in Albany,” she said.

Albany City Manager Sharon Subadan welcomes a crowd on hand for Thursday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Villas at Broadway senior housing complex. (Staff Photo: Carlton Fletcher)